Tag Archives: Better Homes and Gardens

I haven’t done this in awhile! But the snow is finally melting and with hopes that spring is right around the corner, I found myself noticing my favorite things again! I almost returned to this post last week since, according to the world wide web, I was the ONLY person who liked the This Is Us season finale! Without further ado, here are my favorite things this week.

On TV and in My Bookshelf – I am currently watching Big Little Lies on HBOat the same time as reading the book by Liane Moriarty. I have never done this before! I usually read then watch or watch then read (sometimes causing me to have to recall – was that the same, or different?) Reese Witherspoon is fantastic and I read all of Madeline’s dialogue in her voice!

On the Web – Mornings can be a very hectic time if everyone is trying to get ready and out the door at the same time. This week Huffington Post gives us 8 Things The Happiest Couples Do Every Morning. Full disclosure, between breakfast, book bags and bathrooms, my hubby and I rarely do all of these every morning, but I love a good challenge so I am going to be mindful of this list and see how well I / we do!

On Instagram – Check out this amazing kitchen in my signature color from House Beautiful. The green gingham ceiling!! Swoon! I have that tea kettle (love when I can say I have something from a gorgeous shot like this!) Photo credit: Eric Piasecki.

On TV – I just discovered OWN’s new drama Greenleaf. I caught up on demand and watched live this week. The Greenleaf family runs the Calvary megachurch in Memphis. This drama is filled with scandal, deceit, cover-ups, and family secrets. In the latest episode, Grace got the evidence she needed against Uncle Mac, the verdict in the Officer Daniel Nelson case was revealed, and tragedy struck again in response. This week’s episode started with a disclaimer that it was filmed in January and it understood the topic of crimes committed by and against the police were even more relevant today.On the Page – Better Homes and Gardens August issue takes a look into a home that’s created great work and display spaces, new recipes for green beans, beautiful hydrangeas, and how to pack a throwback 1956 picnic.

On the Web – I could not stop laughing as I scrolled through Glamour’s article,20 TV Shows to Watch on Netflix When You’re Feeling Stressed. Parks and Recreation, Gilmore Girls (returning in November!) Grey’s Anatomy… the Riggins GIFs!! Anything on HGTV – I know there have been times when I click on HGTV and go about my business in the house as if I flipped on a radio. My only addition to this list would be One Tree Hill. What would you add to this list?

In the Garden – I’m very proud of myself this summer. I decided to cut my spending money on fresh herbs and try to grow some myself. I have the absolute opposite of a green thumb so this was a daring experiment. I picked spearmint, basil and cilantro. The basil and spearmint have taken off! I have fresh basil in my salads and fresh mint in my water everyday! The cilantro…. hasn’t done as well. I need to research that one a little more. Since I’ve had 2/3 success, I think I should try a few more so I can completely stop spending money on herbs. I found this chart from Country Living and I’m printing it and hanging it on my fridge! At first I thought there were no cilantro tips, until I took a closer look, and saw it says to look at coriander.

In your Coffee Mug – I love coffee. I love ice coffee. I love cinnamon. I love that Starbucks is sharing this recipe so I can make this at home and not spend $5.

On Instagram – So, I’m switching schools next year and teaching a grade I haven’t taught in 20 years! (yay and gulp!) I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to organize my classroom library. I first saw this pic on @teacherspayteachers (one of my favorite websites.) It inspires me and gives me so many ideas! The photo is originally from@kindercraze, so of course I had to check her page out and you should, too!

What things are you loving this week? And how do you keep your fresh cilantro alive?!? Leave me a comment and let me know! Have a great weekend.

On TV – This week on MTV’s Awkward we found out what really happened to Matty and Jenna during their first semester off in college.Their destiny is not so unrealistic (high school couple decide to stay together but grow apart) but of course it is not this simple – add in 100% of Jenna / Matty drama and you get the real story…which she only reveals to her ex-boyfriend / current hook-up Luke!. Not sure how I feel about enemies Tamara and Sadie becoming besties in New York, but Jake and Lissa staying in their hometown and reuniting is a funny, if not awkward development.

(Full disclosure – was this my favorite? Or only thing I watched? On my DVR I have 4 to 5 episodes of EACH of these shows to watch: Chicago Fire, PD and Med, Law and Order, SVU, How to Get Away With Murder, Scandal, Quantico and Suits!)

On the Page – March’s issue of Better Homes and Gardens is packed from cover to cover. Things that got a post-it note from me: striped manicures, ombre shower curtains, cocktails to party like it’s 1965, clutter patrol, and What Are You Afraid Of? (an article on how to conquer the most common fears.)

On Instagram – One account I seem to always hit the like-heart on every picture is @jensfreshvintageThis week I heart, heart, heart the aqua wellies she is dreaming about. I went back and forth with what color wellies I wanted this season and ultimately went with a hot pink – but these aqua ones are delicious, too!!

On the Scoreboard – We are in the thick of March Madness which is one of my favorite sporting events to watch. I’m cheering for my alma mater, Villanova University, who has made it to the Elite Eight. As any true Villanova fan will tell you, we have had our share of heartache watching our team over the years. Could this be the first year since I was in seventh grade that ‘Nova actually wins the championship?!?!?! Good luck Villanova Wildcats who take on Kansas tomorrow night. V for Villanova, V for Victory.

Happy Friday! What are you loving this week? Leave me a comment and let me know. Have a great weekend!

On TV – The last two weeks of Grey’s Anatomy have been great, but I do not want to hear anymore – “put Meredith and Alex together” possible story lines. Please Shonda Rhimes – do not do this! Maybe Episode 10 should have been called – “All I Want is You and You and You and You.” I loved Meredith’s Wizard of Oz reference – “they were all there.” When her therapist states you aren’t married anymore and you aren’t a widow either, he follows it up with the question – Who are you? She says she doesn’t know. And this is why I believe Cristina had to leave, Derrick had to die – so the show could answer that one question.

On the Page – It’s the end of February! It’s that time of year when all the March magazines start arriving with bright colors like green for spring! Time to organize and spring clean.

On Instagram – I’m becoming a little bit of an IG shopaholic. It’s so easy and you can shop right from your couch with a glass of wine – plus it’s a little bit of sport — will I win the prize? One account I follow isFind of the Century. I missed the sale this week and boy am I sorry … check out thisadorable vintage child’s umbrella.

On TV – I have finally caught up on a lot of shows. Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Chicago Fire & PD, SVU and How to Get Away with Murder (the ending did surprise me! My husband and I thought it was Bonnie for sure.) Still on our DVR: Empire and Suits. My pick this week is a show that I started on Netflix this summer and am now watching the current (last?) season live. Hart of Dixie. Although they have been through hook-ups, break-ups, and other boyfriends and girlfriends, this week Zoe and Wade reminded us of why we fell in love with them in the first place. Zoe asks Wade to stop flirting with every woman he comes across and we get to see these two characters at their funniest.

On the Page – HGTV Magazine March 2015. Kitchen items to organize your whole house, such as a lazy susan for your nail polish, muffin tins to keep small craft items, or latte bowls for desk accessories (I have a orange chevron bowl on my desk at work for paper clips.) Fun decorating tips, Flea Market Flips, and my favorite the High / Low List (perfect for those who like the look of expensive things, but don’t want to break the bank.) I’m reading this issue cover to cover.

In the Kitchen – I had a craving for fish tacos this week and I experimented to figure out how to satisfy the taste I was looking for while still sticking to my Weight Watchers Plan. I came up with two options.

Cilantro Lime Sauce from Cocina Marie – delicious! I divided the amount of mayo in half and added more greek yogurt to bring WW point value down. In addition to the tacos, I have used it as salad dressing and as dip with chips.

On My Wish List – I first noticed this great skirt on Jillian Harris’s instagram,which led me to PartySkirts by SKOT.Of course, I was drawn to this bright green hue. Skirts come in three lengths: full, lady length, or short and in a variety of bold colors such as red apple, teacher’s pet purple, and my favorite below, “highlighter.”

On My Facebook Newsfeed- Look what color Better Homes and Gardens says is a soothing color to paint your bedroom. I guess my knack for decorating and color palettes started all the way back when I was 5, when I picked out my first color to paint my childhood bedroom.

In My Scrapbook- I am wishing for spring, but the weather is set on staying with winter for now. Here is one of my favorite pictures of me and my mom. She would have been 81 yesterday.

Hope your week was fabulous. What are you loving this week? Leave me a comment and let me know what you are cooking, reading and pinning. Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading!

I know the halls are all decked in every store with snowflakes and Christmas music, but I stand firm in celebrating the holidays in order! That plus I’m still getting through my stack of fall themed, pumpkin covered magazines.

I was reading Better Homes and Gardens October issue (yes I’m that far behind in my magazine reading.)

I sent a quick text to my sister including this pic because she collects blue glass. I thought it was a great way to incorporate fall colors with a blue glass collection.

Happy, umm, Sunday! Hope you all had a fabulous week. Here are all my favorites this week (2 days late!)

On TV –

Well, as you can imagine since this post is two days late – my DVR is full! I finished OITNB (much to discuss there) and Suits is still the only show I am currently watching. The Divide now has 2 episodes on my DVR.

On the Page –

I’m reading Better Homes and Gardens August 2014 issue cover to cover. Budget friendly decorating finds, an amazing kitchen rehab, post-vacation party tips, and stylish storage options are just a few things you’ll find on this month’s pages.

On the Computer –

I’m currently upgrading our hallway linen closet. So the search is on for inspiration from Pinterest and other bloggers. I have already taken my hideous before shot, all of the contents of the closet are on either our bedroom floor or in Olivia’s crib (good thing she doesn’t sleep in it anymore!) In my online search I foundsuburble…just a bird in the ‘burbs: MY LIFE IS EMBARRASSING: THE LINEN CLOSET. An amazing linen closet transformation! I hope my after shots will be this neat and organized.

Budget Bytes – Italian Wonderpot listed originally on Apron Strings. I found this recipe when searching for one-pot pasta meals. Looking to spruce things up in our pasta repertoire. I have not tried this yet – but it looks delicious and – my favorite – EASY!

I started a new Pinterest Board – check it out here: Linen Closet Upgrade. All the inspirations I am finding as I tackle this next project. (Before and after pictures to come!) One thing I have discovered is that most pictures of linen closets I am finding are the smaller types of closets where the shelves are all all the way to the door. My closet is a little bigger – you can walk in – but not a “walk-in”, if that makes any sense! I’m trying to figure out the best way to construct the shelves for maximum space use. If anyone has a picture of a closet like this – send it my way via Pinterest! Thanks!Here is a picture I pinned from

Carters – 40% off everything. 50% off all PJs – just today (Sunday 7/27.) I like to buy bathing suits in the next size this time of year.
This weekend marks the anniversary of my Mom’s passing. And in a tradition I started last year, I will end this post with some of her favorites! We miss you Mom!

This whole idea started when I was flipping through All You magazine and saw this article entitled How to be a GreatGriller. I decided to pull it out for my sister who we visit for 4th of July. She has always been the griller in our family. As each summer issue hit my mailbox, there were more and more recipes for the grill. I decided to put together a whole binder for my sister (even though she usually makes fun of my crafty ways. Obviously this is not the sister who makes the handmade bags.) I collected up any article I found on backyard barbeques, summertime cocktails, and inventive ways to make burger and dogs. Here are some pages:

as you can see – I also got a pedicure for this trip!

For the cover of the binder, I affixed backyard BBQ type stickers to a piece of yellow gingham craft paper and used glue dots to keep it in place under the plastic cover.

All of the articles are from Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, All You, Better Homes and Gardens, and Cooking Light.

Do you have any favorite barbeque recipes? Leave me a comment and let me know. Thanks to my sister and her family for another great 4th of July weekend!

I had a stack of magazines just piling up in my apartment. I finally went through them all this weekend! It was nice to relax on the couch with my coffee while Olivia was napping and flip through all my favorites – Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes and Gardens, All You. I had about three issues of each to read. For years I would keep magazines just piled up sky high because there was something I really liked in each one. An inspiration. An idea. A really great article. Now I have a system in place that helps me organize all the things I love in magazines, without becoming surrounded by piles as tall as our ceiling.

Here are my stacks of magazines, plus the folders that will eventually hold all the clippings.

Categories I use when cutting things out of magazines are: Recipes, Gift Ideas, Party Inspirations, Craft Projects (I have two of these – they get filled up pretty quickly!), and whatever Holiday is being covered in the magazines – so for these issues it was Valentine’s Day.

I also have a Cards to Frame folder. When someone gives me a greeting card that I love – I frame it! Here are the two that are in the folder to be framed. Both are for Olivia! (Thanks Lauren and Genvieve!)

In both Living by Martha Stewart and Real Simple, each issue has recipe cards. I always pull them out and put them in my recipe folder. Later I may weed through them and discard one that I may never make. Sometime I laminate them and give them as a gift with one of the ingredients. It’s a great holiday or hostess gift. Recipes I want to try stay in the folder until I figure out where they will be permanently cataloged. In a cookbook, a specific holiday binder, etc.

Party Inspirations may migrate to a specific party folder one day. Craft Projects include clipping about projects I want to try one day and also materials for upcoming projects.

I keep the folders in a clear plastic desk organizer from The Container Store.

It felt good to go through all of the magazines that had been piling up! I can now recycle them. I always drop them off to my hair stylist. Do you read paper magazines still? Or have you moved to all digital and pin to Pinterest? I do that, too. I get some subscriptions to my I-Pad now, but I still love getting paper magazines in the mail. I can’t help it! How do you organize ideas and inspirations you get from magazines? I’d love to hear about your systems!

On TV – To be honest – I have some catching up to do this weekend on my DVR from this week! But I did watch the finale of The Bachelorette it was Jef with one F over race car driving Arie.

My pick for favorite is:

Live! with Kelly – Tuesday was the last day I ran home to watch my DVR (see last week’s Friday Favorites for the details) My childhood friend Michael Buckley, @buckhollywood, co – hosted Live! with Kelly for the whole hour. He did an amazing job! Highlights for me – asking Emily (of Emily and Jef with one F) what her strategy was to make this engagement work (ha ha – loved it!) eating crazy, mysterious foods with a smile, and seeing his whole family in the audience! As the Governor of CT tweeted him, #CTGrown.

** I hope you are enjoying my new page – My Color TV – check it out for more TV talk from me**

On the computer –

TEACHABLE MOMENTS – Letter to Parents – as a former teacher I understand and appreciate this! I tip my hat to the countless individuals who go into the classroom each year – you are inspirational!